Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Service Industries and Utilities: Coronavirus

baroness sanderson of welton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with utility companies about any support those companiescould offer the hospitality industryas a result of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord callanan: Government is liaising closely with energy suppliers and relevant trade bodies about support to all of their customers, and in particular vulnerable customers, during this period. Businesses in the hospitality sector that have concerns about being able to pay their utility bills should speak to their energy supplier about payment terms.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Haiti: British Nationals Abroad

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about British humanitarian aid workers arranging evacuation from Haiti due to the COVID-19 pandemic; how many British nationals are currently unable to return from Haiti; what assessment they have made of the personal safety of such workers: and what discussions they have had with the government of Haiti about opening airspace and borders to charter flights for evacuation.

baroness sugg: We have advised against all but essential travel to Haiti since February 2019 because of the volatile security situation. We are closely monitoring the presence of UK nationals in Haiti, including humanitarian aid workers, and their wellbeing remains our priority. We are working closely with other diplomatic missions in Haiti to enable British people to get home. British Nationals are currently able to travel to the UK via the United States and Canada from Haiti, providing they hold a valid ESTA (USA) and fulfil the entry requirements including not having visited the UK, Ireland, Schengen zone, Iran or China within the previous 14 days, or ETA (Canada) as well as on a flight to Paris open to European nationals. Consular services are delivered through our Embassy in Santo Domingo and our consular team is working around the clock to provide support, advice and information to all affected British nationals.

British Overseas Territories: Coronavirus

baroness hooper: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to include British Overseas Territories in the support and protection being offered to individuals and institutions within the UK for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

baroness sugg: The UK takes its responsibilities towards the Overseas Territories extremely seriously. The UK Government is procuring medical equipment and support for each Territory immediately and we will stand fully by the Overseas Territories in the long run as they deal with the impacts of the pandemic. The UK is also leading with partners and allies to support an effective and co-ordinated global health response led by WHO and we are working closely with the Overseas Territories to ensure their needs are fully taken into account. As Minister for the Overseas Territories, I am in constant touch with the Premiers and Governors to ensure they receive the support they need.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Nuffield Council on BioethicsEthical considerations in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, published on 17 March; and what discussions they have had with National Health Service leaders about that report.

lord bethell: The United Kingdom Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been guided by the advice of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) with the sole purpose of minimising loss of life. The Government has published the scientific evidence relied on by SAGE which can be found online via GOV.UK.The report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics Ethical considerations in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has not been formally considered or assessed by SAGE. However, individual contributors to SAGE may consider a range of evidence for their own work.

In Vitro Fertilisation

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 20 January (HL277) and Lord Bethell on 5 March (HL1701) and 18 March (HL2406), what outcomes the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority consider to be adverse following mitochondrial donation treatment; whether such outcomes include (1) implantation failure, (2) spontaneous miscarriage, and (3) the termination of a pregnancy following the detection of unanticipated abnormalities; and what assessment they have made of the reason for the lack of live births pursuant to the application of such treatments.

lord bethell: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) have advised that this information is set out in its Code of Practice at section 33.35, which states:“If a centre becomes aware that a child born following mitochondrial donation has been born with a mitochondrial disease, birth defect, or genetic abnormality, or if there has been some other adverse outcome (including but not limited to failed or no embryo development, miscarriage or premature birth) following treatment involving mitochondrial donation, the centre must regard this as an adverse incident and report this to the HFEA in line with the requirements on adverse incidents set out in guidance note 27. This is to capture information about any abnormalities that may occur as a result of carrying out the MST (maternal spindle transfer) or PNT (pro-nuclear transfer) treatment, to inform any regulatory or licensing action that the HFEA may wish to take and to inform the scientific sector.”The HFEA has made no assessment of the efficacy of mitochondrial treatment to date as the number of treatments is so low, at this stage.

Coronavirus: Hydroxychloroquine

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports about the success of using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, following a study carried out by Professor Raoult, director of the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire de Marseille.

lord bethell: The Department is considering carefully all available evidence around the potential of different medicines for use in treating COVID-19. Clinical trials are ongoing and being developed to assess the benefits of a number of different medicines in treating COVID-19.Hydroxychloroquine is not currently licensed to treat COVID-19 related symptoms or prevent infection. Clinical trials are being established to test hydroxychloroquine as an agent in the treatment of COVID-19. These clinical trials are still not completed, so no conclusions have yet been reached on the safety and effectiveness of this medicine to treat or prevent COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Drugs

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their decision to ban the parallel export of drugs used to treat malaria and HIV, whether UK stocks of such medicines are being trialled for use on patients with COVID-19; and if so, what (1) clinical evidence has been gathered, and (2) conclusions have been reached, about the efficacy of such treatment.

lord bethell: United Kingdom stocks of medicines to treat malaria and HIV are being trialled for use on patients with COVID-19.There are suggestions in the Chinese and French literature that both lopinavir/ritonavir and chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine may be beneficial. However, these data are not conclusive, because the studies done are too small, thus the findings, whilst promising, may ultimately be wrong.The UK will evaluate both these treatments in two large randomised trials, one of which is already underway and the other of which is expected to begin recruitment next week.

Department for Education

Teachers: Coronavirus

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage teachers who are no longer required to work in schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic to undertake other activities in their community.

baroness berridge: The department anticipates that teachers who are no longer required to be physically present in schools would focus on developing educational resources or supporting home-education wherever possible. It is for schools to understand and decide how to deploy their teachers in the most effective way possible. We would encourage all teachers who are not attending school to consider and act in accordance with the latest guidance from Public Health England.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Coronavirus

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any reports of COVID-19 infection among the imprisoned community; whether HM Prison Service has made arrangements to protect others imprisoned in the same establishment; and what estimate they have made of the number of COVID-19 infected prisoners that can be managed within the total prison estate.

lord keen of elie: COVID-19 presents a unique set of challenges that we must address in order to maintain the provision of services in custody. HMPPS are working very closely with Public Health England (PHE) to ensure our approach is based on the best scientific advice available. The safety and wellbeing of staff, prisoners and visitors is paramount and at the heart of our approach. We have existing, well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases. This means prisons are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. In line with broader clinical advice, HMPPS has introduced a procedure for the protective isolation of individuals in prison custody when it is considered that they may be potentially infected with the virus. As of 24 March, prisons in England and Wales are temporarily closed to visitors. This is to ensure prisons are complying with PHE social distancing rules. The usual regime in prisons has also been paused temporarily to apply social distancing. These measures are vital for keeping prisoners and staff safe and preventing the spread of the virus. We are closely monitoring the number of individuals within the imprisoned community who have tested positive for COVID-19. As of 31 March, 69 prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19 across 25 prisons.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Planning Permission: Coronavirus

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to postpone the commencement of any new public inquiry into planning applications until constraints imposed in the UK as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: Following the Prime Minister's announcement on 23 March of further measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus the Planning Inspectorate issued immediate guidance stating that public inquiries into planning applications will not be taking place until the situation changes.MHCLG and the Inspectorate are currently working together to explore whether it is feasible to utilise technological solutions to enable any inquiries to proceed whilst ensuring fairness for all parties, especially third parties, given that these are public events.

Ministry of Defence

Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill 2019-21

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the (1) government of Ireland, and (2) political parties in Northern Ireland, about the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill.

baroness goldie: The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill relates to the conduct of the UK Armed Forces outside of the UK. The operation of the UK Armed Forces is a reserved matter and one for the UK Government. The introduction of the Bill in the House of Commons is just the start of the process, and the Ministry of Defence will continue to engage with stakeholders across the UK throughout the Bill’s progress through Parliament.No discussions have taken place with the Irish Government on the contents of this Bill.